By Sharon Garfinkel
13/08/2007
Anyone fancying a summer stroll should visit London's South Bank. The place is buzzing with energy, with countless visitors delighted with the huge amount on offer - particularly Oscar Hammerstein's Carmen Jones at the newly refurbished Royal Festival Hall.
The show's music is top-notch and makes up for the problems posed by the tremendously wide stage where the performers' expressions are barely visible from the stalls. But with its 60 piece orchestra - the London Philharmonic and the Philiharmonia alternating each night - the staging problems seem insignificant.
South Bank chief - and supremo - Jude Kelly's all-black production of Hammerstein's 1943 reworking of Bizet's Carmen is set in Cuba and brings in some stunning performances, particularly from South African Tsakane Valentine Maswangany as a very hot Carmen, Sherry Boone as Cindy Lou and Andrew Clarke as Joe. The vocal performances are brilliant - particularly from Boone when she sings My Joe.
While this production isn't the best on offer in the capital, it will leave you happy to be alive. Who could ask for more?
Rating: 8 out of 10
Carmen Jones is playing at Royal Festival Hall, South Bank Centre, London, SE1 8XX
Times: Tues-Sun 7.30pm, Wed & Sat 2.30pm
Tickets: £14-£49
Box office: 0871 663 2500
David Jensen Photography:
https://www.davidjensen.co.uk/
